College was a strange and foreign but exciting adventure for me during my freshman year.
My parents drove me to West Lafayette, my sister helped me decorate my room, and then they drove away to only see me occasionally on random weekends and over breaks. As a junior, I seem to have figured most of it out, but I still experience a fair number of struggles. During my journey so far, I have come to realize how much advice I have internalized from my role model over the past 21 years that has helped me to overcome these struggles.
My role model is a man whom I will forever hold near and dear to my heart.
This man served our country as an infantry soldier in the 9th Division U.S. Army. He served our city fighting crime and keeping my family and the city of Chicago safe from bad guys as a police lieutenant. He was considered the patriarch of our church for many years as he served others lovingly and never let any member go unnoticed. Most importantly, this man raised two sons alongside his beautiful wife, where one went on to become my dad and the other my uncle. While he is unfortunately no longer with us, this man was my grandpa, and I am eternally grateful for the lessons he taught me.
My grandpa taught me to dream, and dream big. Now I am at the point where I’m close to finishing college and need to finish strong.
My grandpa taught me that the time is now. Every day that we are here on earth is a day where you can make a difference. Don’t hide away and do things by yourself. Go out to lunch with your friends from high school, ask people to go to the library with you, drag your roommate to the gym, you name it.
My grandpa taught me that there are no excuses, so just do it. He was a very disciplined man who valued time. Our time on earth is finite, so we need to make the most of it. Like I mentioned before, the time is in fact now, so now you just have to go through the physical act of actually doing whatever it is you need to get done. There’s no time like the present, right?
My grandpa also taught me that life isn’t fair, so you better get used to it now. Millennials especially struggle with this, which isn’t entirely their fault. Millennials are known for feeling entitled, want career advancement way too early on than what’s realistic, and are self-interested. I was raised believing that I absolutely can achieve anything that I want to with enough hard work and perseverance. Consequently, when I work hard towards a goal, I feel that I deserve to achieve it. I am on the brink of graduating college and the world has become a lot larger with a lot more people and lot more competition. I will always work hard for what I want. But, I also know that because life isn’t fair, I can’t expect to get everything, and that is okay. Be discouraged for a little, but then brush it aside and move on. There’s no point in wallowing in self-pity.
My grandpa was and will always be my role model, and I am unfortunately no longer able to go to him for advice. I am thankful that in the time that I did have with him, he was able to share real-world wisdom and advice and leave a forever-lasting impact on me.
Thank you, Papa.
